the past always comes back around to bite
by 0IXwillXnotXbeXafraid0
Summary: When Aelin goes to Wendlyn she has no plans to do anything, however, when Galan notices her what will she do? set at the beginning of Heir of Fire. This is what I think could have happened.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Fanfiction but I am sure to post more as I get used to using this website, any advice or comments and criticism is fully appreciated. Credit to Sarah J Maas for coming up with an amazing series and all the characters in it. I have not decided whether to end it or carry it on so opinions on that will be most appreciated.**

Galan Ashryver came riding out through the gates in full view of where the assassin had been perched on the roof of a nobleman's house, assessing the castles gate mechanism. She trailed the prince and his men through the city, leaping from roof to roof. She followed him all the way to the city walls, the cheers growing louder, people tossing flowers, everyone beaming with pride for their perfect, perfect prince. The assassin reached the city gates just as they opened to let him through. However, just before he rode off to the sunset, he stopped and looked up at her. She froze. And he just stared. She went to take a leap to the next roof, away from Galan until he spoke and she halted at his words.

"Wait, stop, would you please grace me with your presence?" he shouted politely. He was so kind and gentle that she did as he had asked, although she was sure to keep her head down and her eyes hidden.

"Your highness," the assassin said softly.

"Now what would a lovely young girl like you be doing on a rooftop like that?" Galan inquired, using the smile laced with court practise that every prince had.

"Oh I assure you, your majesty, that I am anything but lovely," she retorted with a dead laugh.

"I do beg your pardon but I don't suppose we have met before, have we?" Galan's face was twisted with confusion as he said this. And it was obvious that something about her had caught his attention.

"Why? May I ask?" the assassin had suspicion written all over her face, from her furrowed brows to the twitch in her lips.

"Oh I just seem to recognise you from somewhere."

"No I do not think we have met before," snapped the girl.

"Please, if you will, show me your eyes, look at me," The assassin flinched at this request.

"What is wrong?" he was growing even more confused every second he was with this girl.

"Nothing your majesty" she said with a twinge of bite to it. Galan made to lift up the girls chin but she refused and tugged her head away while drawing a dagger on instinct. But, before she could react, the guards accompanying Galan had surrounded her, stepped in front of Galan and the captain had shackled the girl's hands behind her back. Her eyes wide in shock, travelled behind her to look at the man and then down to the shackles and as she looked back up she ran. She ran and ran and ran. With Galan and his guards all on horses, there was no way she could outrun them. She didn't have to. She ran into the forest, dodging trees faster than humanly possible while those trailing behind her on horse became slower.

Once she reached a clearing, she took her shackled hands and step backwards over them. The girl slumped to her knees while staring at the shackles with hollowness that rowan had felt before. That hollowness soon turned into rage as she stood up and walked over to the thickest tree. She swung her arms round and the shackles hit the tree taking her hands along too. She did this five times before her right hand snapped. Rowan heard the crunch of bone from the branch he was perched on. To his surprise she did not scream. She just slumped down next to the tree and stared at the shackles. She looked so helpless. She was falling into a pit that he was still climbing out of. He did not care about her; he only cared about Maeve's order. This was to bring the girl to Mistward and so he hopped off his branch and glided towards the other side of the clearing, landing a few paces away from the girl. She looked up with dead eyes that stared right into his soul. He edged a bit further, coming closer to the broken assassin. There were now only 5 paces to reach the girl. As rowan went to close the gap between them, the girl shimmied round the tree and edged further away. Rowan closed the gap again and this time the girl did not object, not as he showed her his talons and went for the shackles. The girl was as still as a statue and she watched the shackles fall off, as was the hawk. The hawk's eyes narrowed, however, when he saw the girl's hands which were peppered with scars. But those were not the scars he noticed the most, they were the thin bands of scars that circled both her wrists. At that gaze, she snapped back to the world of reality and stood up, rubbing her wrists.

"Thank you," she said but stopped abruptly when the hawk snapped his eyes up to the bush behind her. She slowly, so slowly turned around and ended up meeting the gaze of Prince Galan.

It was her. Aelin. She looked so much like Aedion, from the long golden hair, to the chiselled chin and the turquoise eyes with a ring of gold. The Ashryver eyes. His eyes. She stared at him wide-eyed with shock. She made to turn around to run but he caught her wrist just in time. She yelped. He had grabbed her broken hand and now held it firmly without even knowing.

"Aelin?" Galan whispered with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. She shook off his grip and bounded into the forest again with tears in her eyes. Not from the pain of her hand; from the pain of seeing her relative recognise her with hope in his eyes, the hope of which he had not realised yet had diminished the moment Marion had died.


	2. Chapter 2

**I am sorry it has taken a while to upload but I have been busy with many things, I am going to start posting regularly, possibly weekly so you wont have to wait as long for the next chapter. Next chapter will hopefully be coming on the 5th April xx**

 **Celaena's PoV**

She could hear Galan bounding after her, following her into the dense forest. A bird flew overhead and she caught a glimpse of snow white feathers. The bird had helped her once, what if it was trying to help her again? So with that in her mind, she raced towards the strange hawk. Behind her, she could hear Galan's horse slowing down to avoid the trees. She slowed down to a halt when she spotted the bird on a branch up ahead. This place didn't feel right, it felt like death and she slowly realised why as she looked around. This was the burrow of a Wight, although she felt another presence there that was unnervingly like the creature down in the chambers underneath the library. The hawk flew away and the something stirred in the bushes behind her. Praying silently that it wouldn't be a creature like the ridderak or worse, she drew her daggers. For whatever reason, the gods blessed her with luck as a Fae male walked out instead. This male was no doubt a warrior who could take her down the moment she moved but se gathered as much bravado as she could be bothered to muster at that moment and swaggered over to him.

"Now, who might you be?" she purred as his eyes narrowed.

"Rowan and you're coming with me, princess" Rowan grabbed her wrists, both wrists, including the broken wrist which she had no doubt that he was well aware of as a result of whatever Fae abilities he had. She was at a disadvantage, she could tell that he already had information on her – including her name – yet she new nothing about him except from his name and that he was a warrior of some kind. She connected the dots and guessed that he was in fact taking her to see Queen Maeve of the Fae. Celaena fumbled over her original plan in her mind, it could still work, she could have the answers she need from Maeve and be out of Wendlyn and heading back to Adarlan within a week.

Rowan dragged her miles in silence leaving her to drown in her own thoughts. Too soon they had reached one of the fortresses signalling the half way point to Doranelle. It was beautiful. The stones were dark and ancient – hewn from something other than the abundant granite. Magic wards sent a zinging current snapping against her skin as rowan led her towards the three towers with many sentries patrolling them. As Rowan wordlessly led her into the dim fortress, up a set of narrow stairs and into a small office, a feeling of dread washed over her in a wave as she realised why the whole place seemed to be holding its breath. There, sat behind the cramped desk, was Maeve, Queen of the Fae. Her aunt. And then, after all the long years she had spent running and hiding from them, Maeve spoke the words that had haunted her from that very day 10 years ago, "Hello, Aelin Galathynius"

 **Rowan's PoV**

He watched as the girl slowly backed away from his queen, expecting to be able to get out, get away but instead slamming into him as he closed the doors behind them. He could feel her shaking and knew that she would not bother going for any of the weapons within her reach as she would likely not be able to keep her grip on them. Not only that but she was no match for him and she knew it. Aelin paled as she took in his queen, the room and the owl perched next to his queen. Then quietly she spoke "Aelin Galathynius is dead", he could hear the dread and hate laced between the words. He knew of how her parents had died but what had broken this girl so completely that she thought herself dead. After his mates death he was utterly broken, swallowed up by his grief but even then he had not thought of himself dead, he had not become another person entirely, he had not taken on another name and tried to cover up who he was. Maeve smiled as she stated "let us not bother with lies".

Aelin started to sweat and he could smell her fear of his queen. The girl looked so similar to the descriptions of Mab that it was like the dark sister and the fair-headed sister were once again facing each other and standing in the same room. He stepped away from her only to lean against the door to ensure she would not have any chance of escape. Rowan wondered why Maeve had wanted to see the pathetic girl, she seemed so fragile and frankly not worth any of his time and yet Maeve had assigned him to this task. Fenrys had pleaded his queen to take on the princess, had even gotten on his knees and yet Maeve had thought that he was better suited to this task, handling a spoilt little princess. Aelin bowed low as she should when greeting the queen of the Fae, though she was still unsure and uneasy at the sight of Maeve watching her like a spider watched a fly caught in its web.

"I suppose that with a proper bath, you'll look a good deal like your mother" he could see the girl tense and he knew that Maeve had hit a sore spot even though the girl tried to bury the pain and retort. Smiling weakly the girl answered "had I known who I would be meeting, I might have begged my escort for time to freshen up". This girl had a wicked tongue on her, trying to dump the blame on his shoulders, as if that would ever work, she didn't know what Maeve was like. He did. Maeve flicked her eyes to his for a second with approval clearly shown in them. Had he been in his hawk form he might have puffed out his feathers. Might have. If he could be bothered to show any emotion to Aelin.


End file.
